Dormant Company Accounts Filing in Folkestone

Dormant company accounts are the annual accounts a company prepares when it is dormant for Companies House purposes — broadly, where it has had no significant accounting transactions during the period the accounts cover. They are not simply a blank return: the accounts still need to be prepared in line with the applicable rules and filed with Companies House in the correct format for the company's circumstances. Many dormant companies prepare very short accounts with a simple balance sheet and limited notes, but what is required depends on the company's own position. Our Dormant Company Accounts Filing service is designed to work out which route fits your company rather than applying the same template to everyone.

Broadly, a company is dormant for Companies House purposes when it has no significant accounting transactions in the relevant financial period. That is a specific test rather than a general description of a quiet year, so a company cannot simply decide it is dormant because it has not traded or has not issued any invoices. Some payments are usually disregarded when applying the test, but which ones count as disregarded depends on the rules in force at the time, so the safest approach is to review the transactions that have actually gone through the company before deciding how to file. If your position is unclear, we can look at the period with you and confirm whether dormant accounts are likely to be appropriate.

In most cases, yes. A company that is dormant for Companies House purposes generally still needs to file annual accounts and a confirmation statement, unless it has been formally dissolved or another specific rule applies to it. Being dormant is not the same as being exempt from filing, and it should never be assumed that a quiet year means nothing is due. The accounts requirement depends on the company's circumstances and the applicable Companies House rules, which is why it is far better to check your position than to assume accounts are not required.

A confirmation statement is a separate Companies House filing from the annual accounts, and a dormant company will usually need to file one each year as well. It confirms that the information Companies House holds about the company — such as the registered office address, directors, shareholders and people with significant control — is still correct. Filing dormant company accounts does not satisfy the confirmation statement requirement, and filing a confirmation statement does not satisfy the accounts requirement; they are two distinct obligations with their own filing dates. Keeping both up to date is part of running a dormant limited company properly.

No. Companies House dormancy and HMRC Corporation Tax dormancy are separate concepts, with different tests and different purposes behind them. A company may be dormant for one purpose and not the other, so the two positions should always be checked individually. Telling HMRC that a company is dormant for Corporation Tax is a separate step from filing dormant company accounts with Companies House — the two processes do not automatically update each other, and filing dormant accounts with Companies House does not by itself notify HMRC of anything or change your Corporation Tax position.

It can, and this is one of the most common reasons a company needs advice before filing. A company may have had no trading income and still have seen bank charges, interest, or other minor movements through its account during the period. Whether those transactions affect the company's dormant status depends on what they are and on the rules that apply, which is why accounts should be prepared from the actual records rather than from an assumption that the year was empty. Where those transactions mean the company is not dormant for the period, a different type of accounts may be required.

Usually we need basic company details — the company name and number, registered office, accounting reference date and the period being filed — along with confirmation of the company's activities and any transactions that have gone through during that period, including bank statements where relevant. Details of the directors and the balance sheet position at the period end are also helpful, and the same records may support your confirmation statement. If something is missing, we will tell you what is needed rather than guessing at figures. Having the records to hand makes the Dormant Company Accounts Filing process quicker and reduces the chance of follow-up questions.

If dormant company accounts are filed after the deadline, Companies House can treat the accounts as overdue, and a late filing penalty may be issued. How that is handled depends on the company's circumstances and the reason for the delay, so it is not something to assume will simply resolve itself. Late dormant company filing also creates avoidable admin and cost for a company that otherwise has very little going on. If you have missed a date, the sooner the position is reviewed and the filing brought up to date, the better.